How To Wear... Animal Print

For me, September is the new January – full of fresh starts. It’s exciting in a back-to-school kind of way. Sharpen those pencils, then, for this month we’re off to international fashion week, a major exhibition, and more private views than you can shake a new-season Balenciaga boot at...

Wondering what to wear? How about the season’s hottest new look: head-to-toe animal print. There are no rules, which means you can let your snakes battle it out with your cheetahs, and your zebras run wild with your tigers. We haven’t had this much fun with fashion for ages... so go for it.

Gallery Previews

Wherever you are in the world, September is a month of private views hosted by the best galleries. Artists mingle with well-heeled art dealers and collectors wearing a quirky mix of elegance meets urban. What a perfect moment for a cheetah-print slipdress. Cut on the bias, slipdresses flatter most shapes and I even love them worn with trainers à la Kate Moss circa 1993. But a pair of Aquazzura animal-print platforms are way more suited to an art-world moment. Cheetah-print coats are everywhere this season, but my favourites are in unusual hues, such as the blue print on this Michael Kors design. When it comes to gallery previews, a slipdress is your new best friend. As in, slip off the coat, and you’re ready for anything.

London Fashion Week

If you’re off to a show or an after-party this month, you’ll need to channel some look-at-me style. And so, as much as I love the midi dress, sometimes the situation calls for something different – like my long-lost friend, the mini skirt. Softened by a fluid blouse with a '70s-style collar, minis are best paired with a loose-cut top to balance out the silhouette. Brigitte Bardot looked cute in ballet pumps and mini skirts, but for dancing, you can’t beat a pair of platform ankle boots from Saint Laurent. Carry hefty fashion-show invitations in an elegant Givenchy bag decorated with a slither of snake, et voilà: welcome to what I call my French Fashion Editor look – bare legs, silky blouse, skyscraper boots, Gallic attitude. All that’s missing is the dance floor.

Venice Biennale

I adore Venice, but the world-renowned architecture biennale requires a fair amount of walking, so I prefer to wear a low heel. Roger Vivier’s new-season kitten heels were made for walking. Cut slightly on the slant in punchy red, these cheetah-print babies feel quirky enough to slot in with the design crowd. Clash a pair of three-quarter-length animal-print jeans with a lightweight blouse for a look that will easily take you from day to aperitivo. A mishmash of print on a biker jacket adds an edge – and you can always sling it over your shoulder during the midday heat. The key to dressing for a design biennale is simple: go all out, even during the day. This is Italy, a country that celebrates all things beautiful.